by Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY Sports

by Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY Sports

SAN FRANCISCO â?? Yusmeiro Petit's previous brush with baseball history had fallen agonizingly short. He wasn't going to let that happen again.

Almost a year after his bid for a perfect game was spoiled one out from immortality, the San Francisco Giants right-hander completed an even more unique feat Thursday, becoming the first pitcher ever to retire 46 batters in a row.

The Chicago White Sox's Mark Buehrle had established the record with 45 consecutive outs in 2009, when he followed a perfect game by setting down the first 17 batters in his next start. Petit came into Thursday with 38, mostly in relief.

Starting in place of the struggling Tim Lincecum, Petit got the first eight Colorado Rockies out Thursday, striking out Charlie Culberson in the third inning to break the mark. The crowd at AT&T Park reacted with a prolonged standing ovation.

On Sept. 6 of last year, he got a similar ovation after the Arizona Diamondbacks' Eric Chavez broke up his try at perfection with two outs in the ninth inning.

"I was more relaxed this time,'' Petit said in Spanish after the Giants' 4-1 win over the Rockies. "I concentrated a little bit more. I told myself I couldn't let the opportunity present itself and fall short again. I was committed to completing it, and it happened.''

The 29-year-old veteran did not allow a runner to get on base during six relief appearances after the Philadelphia Phillies tagged him for five runs in five innings in a spot start July 22.

This time Petit was getting another spot start â?? a role in which he has struggled this year â?? and he responded with a standout performance. Petit allowed a two-out double to opposing pitcher Jordan Lyles right after setting the record, and Charlie Blackmon followed with an RBI single.

But that was all Petit yielded in six innings, striking out nine in helping the Giants take the series 3-1.

"This game has been played a long time and that's quite a record to be proud of,'' manager Bruce Bochy said. "It's amazing to me. It kind of went unnoticed there for a long time but it started to get some attention here lately. What a roll to get on to get that kind of record.''

Bochy hinted that Petit had earned another start â?? it would come at Colorado next week â?? but would not commit to that yet. Petit was not looking that far, preferring to take in the moment.

He and his teammates had a brief postgame celebration with champagne in the clubhouse and the soft-spoken Venezuelan addressed them.

"I told them this was a very happy moment for me as a person and as a player,'' Petit said, "but this was partly their feat too, because I would not have been able to achieve it without them.''

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